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The laibon used a Dik-dik, that small lovely antelope, to thwart someone's plans. It works thus: he places charms upon the animal and then releases it in the direction of the person who is the target of the spell. For help with childbirth, he drapes the skin of an eland on the woman -- the eland being much like the cow, which possesses magic powers. In order to bring rain, the laibon places a dead frog on the ground, belly up, with a charm upon it. Within 24 hours, before the frog decays, the rain will fall.
The laibon drained his Tusker and asked for another. From outside, in the failing light: "Ecce agnus Dei. Ecce qui tollit peccata mundi " ("Behold the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.") Of course, it all works, said the laibon, irritated that the doubting question was asked. If there are sick cattle, sacrifice a sheep, and take the undigested grass found in its stomach, and stretch the skin over the & entrance to the boma. The cattle will pass beneath the skin and grass, which will draw the illness out of the cows.
Of all animals, said the laibon, cows have the greatest power, the greatest importance. "The cow and the Masai came from the same place in the creation, and they have always been together." The visitor thought of the cattle-raiding warriors, and asked the laibon if it is all right to kill a man. The laibon thought, drank, blew his nose onto the dirt floor and replied, "It is not so bad to kill a man. If you do it and are successful, it is not so bad, because God allowed the man to die. God agreed, and so it happened."
Asked if he liked the wild animals, the laibon answered, "I like the animals, but they do not like human beings. That is the problem. But the eland is a friend. You can eat an eland, and use his skin for many things." Not long ago, the laibon dreamed that a spitting cobra bit him. He cried in his sleep and leaped out of his bed, shaking, and awoke.
The laibon has been chased by lions many times. The worst attack came one evening when he was walking to another enk'ang to see his girlfriend. (The visitor savored the idea of a witch doctor going to pick up his girlfriend for a date.) The lion stalked and menaced him for a long distance, the laibon jabbing with his spear, the lion never quite attacking. Odd.
It happened a year ago in the Chalbi Desert, in the Northern Frontier District. John Hall and his daughter Susan were camping in the open. It was 11 at night when the hyenas came, screaming and laughing, their eyes flashing in the moonlight. There were six or seven hyenas in the pack, and even after Hall opened up on them with his shotgun, they kept coming at him. Hall and his daughter raced for their vehicle, which was open at the sides, and still the hyenas came on, working as a pack, snapping hungrily. Hall plunged the vehicle at them repeatedly and finally chased them off into the desert.